IBasso Audio IT03
Sep 27, 2016 at 12:18 PM Post #316 of 3,344
get it ezekiel :) then after that we get our celeste. Btw did u get sirius/andromeda?


Preordered Andro but waited 4 months already. Let's not go there. The IT03 looks to be a winner.
 
Sep 27, 2016 at 12:21 PM Post #317 of 3,344
Review is up - sorry its so long, Im no reviewer expert - Hope it helps
 
>> I trust that more experienced reviewers will add more technical details about the sound signature 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ibasso-it03
 
iBasso IT03 [1xDD 2xBA]
 

 
 
Introduction:
 
the mission statement of the company iBasso is
“To capture the essence of music for all to enjoy” On their Facebook banner it also reads “We do it for music, We do it for you”
Add to that a genuine passion for quality audio at an affordable price you can see why I was excited to receive an email from 
Paul at iBasso asking simply ‘would I be interested in reviewing their new IEM, the IT03, a new universal in ear monitor offering:
  1. an in house designed dynamic drive unit
  2. a single dynamic drive + dual balanced armature drive with  3 way crossover
  3. accurately calculated front and rear chamber design
  4. Femm 2D magnetic field analytical calculation & Nd-Fe-B magnet
  5. Detachable cable with MMCX connector
  6. Comfortable contoured shape for a great concha fit
  7. Vegetable-tanned leather pouch from US sourced leather
 
I have been using iBasso DAP’s exclusively for a number of years, enjoying the DX50, DX90 and now my current DAP the DX80. 
The reason for this, is mainly the sound quality. With the DX80 I find myself in that rarest of places of being completely happy with 
an audio product!
One thing I admire about iBssso is that they do not follow the practice of charging as much as the market can bear and thus making
their products unavailable for the majority, instead they produce affordable products utilizing the best possible components to arrive
at a sound quality that is very hard to beat and affordable.
I confess to having a soft spot for iBasso!
 
Disclaimer:
I have no connection or affiliation with iBasso other than testing the occasional beta firmware update for the DX80.
 
About me:
I am a 46 year old Sound Engineer working in recording, production and mastering mainly working with vocals and some music, 
who loves and is fascinated by audio. I sometimes also enjoy music!
Why review? 
Simply because if I love something I want to share it with others.
Head-fi.org has been an oasis for me and a wealth of vital information in my journey through the headphone world.
I am deeply indebted to everyone here who has shared so much of their invaluable knowledge that has helped me making my own
headphone purchase decisions.
My intention is to give a review that will give a clear as possible, non biased view of the product.
I endeavor to help portray the sonic characteristics as faithfully as possible. 
However, I encourage people to check other reviewers
who can more faithfully articulate in detail other characteristics and thus you can get a full understanding and appreciation of the headphones
 
To begin – A summary:
 
I will get to the details below but because I may be end up having quite a lot to say I will summarize here:
The iBasso IT03 are a skillfully tuned well balanced energetic headphone with a real presence and a ‘live’ feel that easily puts them in the 
top of the ‘Mid-tier’ league and shares many aspects with much more expensive 'high end' IEM's
They have managed to carve out a unique sound signature that puts them in a unique position with their peers. At the risk of sounding lazy 
 they are just ‘right’ in so many ways…More details below
 

 
 
Out of the box:
 
The first time you put headphones in your ears fresh out of the box can be a moment of trepidation because they can give an immediate indication
of their innate nature and if you don’t like this first sound… and yet through experience I have found iem’s can change a lot with burn in and tip choice 
so I tried not to be over analytical, but . . My first impression was basically ‘Wow, these are bright, and energetic’
 
After a short while an analogy came to mind of getting a new puppy – You instantly are delighted by the energy 
but after a while you hope he calms down a bit!
Listening to some Bach I found myself virtually dancing around my kitchen with the amazing life and energy the IT03’s 
However I did hope they would calm down a bit! And so started the burn in . . .
 
Burn in, Equipment & Tips:
As of writing this review they have had +130 hours of burn in.
Main equipment used was the iBasso DX80 & Cowon X9. I use classical music to burn in to give a full as possible range of dynamic frequencies
I have also tried many different types of tips to see how much difference they made to the sound signature
I personally didn’t get on very well with the tips supplied, at first.
I found the narrow bores to be [in general] the most suited for these iem’s.  I found wider bore tips, in general, to make the low end 
a little bit bloated and 'shouty' 
However, after burn in this issue mostly disappeared
 
*I should say here that I have large ear holes so it’s quite possible that the tips supplied are not quite big enough for me to always get a 
guaranteed  best possible seal. 
Post 100 hours the issues I found at first are no longer applicable but the sound is certainly richer and warmer for me personally with other tips
During the burn in process the tips that gave the most balanced sound [for me] where  spin tips
The fit was a deep insertion which although made them a secure fit may not be to everyone’s liking however it does give an excellent isolation and kept my 
listening levels very low. However **Please see the section ‘The Treble:’
 
I did find that tip positioning was important – get it right and the low end can be full and rich – get it wrong and the bass is not so present although not to the 
degree that this ever became as issue although as I mention I have very large ear holes so this may not be applicable for you    
 
Packaging:
 
Packaging is elegant, simple and functional. I think it’s fair to say iBasso invests as much as possible of its finances into the products rather than flashy packaging.
Contents were minimal with a nicely made leather bag containing 3x 3 of different shapes and size of ear tip., a warranty, instructions and a graph
 
 
     
 
 
 
Weight, Housing, Wire & Fit:
 
The iems’ are a very light, elegant well made plastic.
The inner housing has a lump that helps helps keep the earphones in place. The fit is very stable, similar design to Custom IEM's. 
Once in they do not move at all. I can imagine they would be great for exercise
Initially the way I was putting them in they stuck out a bit but after some experimentation I found a way to twist them in so they now sit flat in the ear.
Edit: They actually work just as well either with a deep insertion or sitting in / sealed on the outer ear hole area
The wire itself feels almost metallic. The memory part that hooks round the top of the ear is very good. The wire looks thin but feels strong. 
The wire has almost no microphonics and as such the earphones are a joy to walk / move around with
 
 

 
 
The Sonics – How do they sound?:
 
So let me start by saying, that here is where I found these earphones to be fascinating during the burn in process – 
they seemed to be an earphone of seeming contradictions and yet they worked wonderfully!
They were bright yet not harsh. There didn’t seem to be an excess of bass and yet you were never left wanting more. 
With some albums though the bass was deep, warm and rich. They were bright and energetic yet they easily left you alone to enjoy the music 
without begging for attention! Having spent a long time with them now Im finding it hard to fault them!
 
The Treble:
 
You’ll notice that above I express my findings in the past tense. I thought I had mostly finished my review, I had tried many tips, given a generous 75 hours burn
in when two things happened. 
Firstly, Paul from iBasso posted that 150 hours were needed so I thought it prudent to give more burn in time and 
Secondly, whilst lying down for a good late night listen I noticed that if I pushed in the earphones more deeply into my ears 
(they were already deep & equipped with Spin Tips) 
I was noticing a lot more bass. At this stage they had over 100 hours and I was already enjoying big improvements.
I had a pair of white large silicone tips that I had left over from an old pair of Fidue A83’s. 
 
Putting these on the IT03’s I was immediately hit by one of ‘those’ magical moments that headphone users dream of. What had previously been a light airy lovely 
headphone seemingly transformed into . . . something else altogether.  
The treble is now beautifully refined, natural and silky smooth with no graininess. There is not much sparkle.. which is a good thing as the treble works so wonderfully 
with the mids and low end. Its actually hard to define the characteristics of the treble because the earphones are balanced and tuned so very well.
All frequencies are given their own space yet they complement and support each other remarkably well.
I will leave it to other more experienced reviewers to talk in more detail about the highs!
 
 

 
 
The Mids:
 
The mids remind me of the amazing mids produced by the FLC8s which give female vocals a presence that is simply magical. Unlike the FLC8s the mids are deeper,
smoother and warmer. I find them tuned in a complimentary manner in that they are neither too forward or too recessed. I don’t mean to say this in a critical way but I
find them tuned in a more ‘mature way’ than the FLC8’s
I feel that the IT03’s as a whole have been tuned with a genuine love not just of music but of the emotion that music can give when you hear it at its best. 
The way the vocals stand out in the mix and are given their own space is exceptional 
 
 

 
 
The Low End:
 
The low end reminds me of the Fidue A83 – deep, richly warm but what impresses me the most is that the low end is never allowed to dominate. 
They hit when they need to hit and support when they need to take a more background position. When the music calls for it the low end is deep rich and 
impactful but I have heard on a number of records that where the bass is overbearing or perhaps not mixed very well the IT03’s seem to be able to 
tame them and put them in their place, never allowing them to interfere with the other frequencies. It’s quite intriguing how iBasso have managed this. 
One subtle thing I have noticed is that upon occasion, the IT03’s excelled at organic low end such as bass guitar, cello but struggled a bit with more 
digital, man-made bass of an ‘excessive’ nature – Think ‘Lorde – Royals’ or ‘James Blake – Limit to Your Love’
However in retrospect this was mostly the result of the IT03’s needing burn in. Now, listening to those two tracks again 50 hours later,
the bass is very well implemented. You still get the deep low down sub bass but as I mention above everything is still kept respectfully where it needs to be, 
nothing is allowed to become overbearing. 
Having said that, if you give them well recorded, mixed and mastered music made with real instruments then they will reward you greatly!
 
Imaging and Sound Stage:
 
Imaging and sound stage is very good indeed, in fact like most aspects of these earphones, they are just . . . ‘right’ 
There is enough ‘out of head’ to create an involved experience and yet never so far that you become distracted by an unrealistic or exaggerated 
separation of instruments. You very much become part of the music – I don’t find myself in front off, on the stage with, or anywhere ‘outside’ of the music. 
For me they allow a very involved emotive experience where you just mix with-in the music. 
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, with these earphones I often find myself just wanting to dance to whatever Im listening too 
or maybe even air guitar it!
The other main impression I have and this is perhaps the only aspect that I think some people may not like as it is a big characteristic of the IT03’s and that is the 
sound reminds me of
 [imagine if you will] the sound inside for example Abbey Road Studios in that – Imagine sitting inside an orchestra as they play. As well as enjoying not only 
the energy and emotive impact of the music you are also aware of the room you are in. you hear the reverberation of the frequencies
as they move around the room.
I often found an almost reverb like warmth and space that combined with an incredible energy gives the AT03’s their unique sound. 
There is often an airy space that gives them a live feel. 
Personally I think they have knocked the ball out of the court with the tuning and design leading to the sound that these earphones produce 
but for those who prefer a more analytical, softer and refined approach to their audio . . .or in other words, basically a $1000+ TOTL headphone! 
this quality may not be ideal. This is not a criticism, more just an analogy to describe an aspect of the sound
 
Critique:
 
In all honesty I have not found it easy to find areas of the IT03’s that I found needed to be addressed or criticized. 
In terms of a review Im trying to avoid personal preferences and to just honestly and fairly engage with what my ears are telling me. 
Technically I think its difficult to fault the tuning, balance or design
However they do have a clearly identifiable sound signature and as such there may be people who dislike these attributes.
 
The two areas I would mention are:
 
1, Their energy – they are an energetic IEM that sometimes I feel loose a bit of cohesion at louder levels, however, if anything I found myself 
turning down the volume whilst listening so I don’t think this is actually an issue. This is a case of peoples preference. 
in that different tips can make a big difference, this is nothing to worry about!
 
2, Their ‘gold like sheen’ The IT03’s have this over all gold like sheen that reminds me of harmonic excitation
 (a recording studio audio signal processing technique used to enhance a signal by dynamic equalization, phase manipulation, harmonic synthesis of 
(usually) high frequency signals, and through the addition of subtle harmonic distortion )
By this I mean they have a live energy that gives them a compelling listening experience.
For these reasons I would not class them as a TOTL earphone but this is not a criticism, its more that they are tuned and balanced to offer a ‘certain sound’
For me a TOTL earphone is called such because it replicates audio faithfully and naturally to the source. Having said that, 
when you consider the price of the IT03’s these points are pretty irrelevant! 
I appreciate that people may hold their own view of what a TOTL signature is. This is just my own view
 
In Conclusion:
 
I genuinely feel that iBasso have achieved something magical with these IEM’s. They have created an earphone that captures the life and 
emotive energy of music in such a way as to offer a unique sounding earphone in today's market.
The headphone has an exceptional balance of highs, mids and bass that combined with the emotive energy have reminded me 
why music is so important. 
The tuning is masterful and mature and allows all the frequencies their correct place and space to shine.
They are quite an engaging lively earphone and yet I often found the music disappearing into the background, 
in other words there is nothing about the sound signature that try’s to grab you or distract you. This is what I mean by a ‘mature’ tuning
The IT03’s clearly love music and almost seem to deliver it with a shout of joy for the sheer exuberance and love of the music
 
I would like to thank iBasso for the opportunity to spend time with and come to know this gem amongst earphones
 
Sep 27, 2016 at 12:29 PM Post #318 of 3,344
  Review is up - sorry its so long, Im no reviewer expert - Hope it helps
 
>> I trust that more experienced reviewers will add more technical details about the sound signature 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ibasso-it03
 
iBasso IT03 [1xDD 2xBA]
 

Hey @jon parker great review. 
atsmile.gif

I would very much like to see a comparison with the Shockwave III too. 
 
Sep 27, 2016 at 12:31 PM Post #319 of 3,344
 
  Review is up - sorry its so long, Im no reviewer expert - Hope it helps
 
>> I trust that more experienced reviewers will add more technical details about the sound signature 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/ibasso-it03
 
iBasso IT03 [1xDD 2xBA]
 

Hey @jon parker great review. 
atsmile.gif

I would very much like to see a comparison with the Shockwave III too. 

:) That would be interesting as they have quite a different sound signature - just as awesome but in different ways! 
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top